Multiple
Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
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1.
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Which of the following abiotic
factors has the greatest influence on the metabolic rates of plants and animals? A) | water | B) | wind | C) | temperature | D) | rocks and soil | E) | disturbances | | |
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2.
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Coral reefs can be found on the
southern east coast of the United States but not at similar latitudes on the southern west coast.
Differences in which of the following most likely account for this? A) | sunlight | B) | precipitation | C) | day length | D) | ocean currents | E) | salinity | | |
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3.
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Polar regions are cooler than
the equator because A) | there is more ice at the
poles. | B) | sunlight strikes the poles at an oblique
angle. | C) | the poles are farther from the sun. | D) | the poles have a thicker atmosphere. | E) | the poles are permanently tilted away from the sun. | | |
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4.
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Which of the following
environmental features might influence microclimates? A) | a discarded soft-drink can | B) | a tree | C) | a fallen log | D) | a stone | E) | all of the above | | |
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5.
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The success with which plants
extend their range northward following glacial retreat is best determined by A) | whether there is simultaneous migration of herbivores. | B) | their tolerance to shade. | C) | their seed dispersal
rate. | D) | their size. | E) | their growth
rate. | | |
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6.
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Which marine zone would have
the lowest rates of primary productivity (photosynthesis)? A) | pelagic | B) | abyssal | C) | neritic | D) | continental
shelf | E) | intertidal | | |
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7.
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You are interested in studying
how organisms react to a gradient of abiotic conditions and how they coexist in this gradient. The
best biome in which to conduct such a study is A) | mountains. | B) | an intertidal zone. | C) | a river. | D) | tropical forest. | E) | an eutrophic
lake. | | |
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8.
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Which of the following
terrestrial biomes is (are) adapted to frequent fires? A) | savanna | B) | chaparral | C) | temperate grasslands | D) | only A and B | E) | A, B, and C | | |
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9.
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A cage containing male
mosquitoes has a small earphone placed on top, through which the sound of a female mosquito is
played. All the males immediately fly to the earphone and thrust their abdomens through the fabric of
the cage. Which of the following best describes the reason for this behavior? A) | The males learn to associate the sound with females. | B) | Copulation is a fixed action pattern, and the female flight sound is a sign stimulus
that initiates it. | C) | The sound from the earphone irritates the
male mosquitoes, causing them to attempt to sting it. | D) | The reproductive drive is so strong that when males are deprived of females, they will
attempt to mate with anything that has even the slightest female
characteristic. | E) | Through classical conditioning, the male
mosquitoes have associated the inappropriate stimulus from the earphone with the normal response of
copulation. | | |
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10.
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A type of learning that can
occur only during a brief period of early life and results in a behavior that is difficult to modify
through later experiences is called A) | insight. | B) | imprinting. | C) | habituation. | D) | operant conditioning. | E) | trial-and-error
learning. | | |
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11.
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You turn on a light and observe
cockroaches scurrying to dark hiding places. What have you observed? A) | taxis | B) | learned behavior | C) | migration | D) | visual
communication | E) | operant conditioning | | |
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12.
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Imagine that you are designing
an experiment aimed at determining whether the initiation of migratory behavior is largely under
genetic control. Of the following options, the best way to proceed is to A) | observe different genetically distinct populations in the field and see if they have
different migratory habits. | B) | perform within-population matings with
birds from different populations that have different migratory habits. Do this in the laboratory and
see if offspring display parental migratory behavior. | C) | bring animals into the laboratory and determine the conditions under which they become
restless and attempt to migrate. | D) | perform within-population matings with
birds from different populations that have different migratory habits. Rear the offspring in the
absence of their parents and observe offspring migratory behavior. | E) | All of the above are equally productive ways to approach the
question. | | |
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Below is a list of signal
types that animals use for communication. Choose the one that best fits the criteria in the following
questions.
A) | olfactory | B) | visual | C) | auditory | D) | tactile | E) | electrical | | |
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13.
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A long-lasting signal that
works at night.
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14.
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A brief signal that can work at
night or among obstructions.
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15.
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A fast signal that requires
daylight and no obstructions.
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16.
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Which of the following is least
related to the others? A) | agonistic
behavior | B) | cognitive maps | C) | dominance hierarchy | D) | ritual | E) | territory | | |
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17.
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To measure the population
density of monarch butterflies occupying a particular park, 100 butterflies are captured, marked with
a small dot on a wing, and then released. The next day, another 100 butterflies are captured,
including the recapture of 20 marked butterflies. One would estimate the population to
be A) | 200. | B) | 500. | C) | 1,000. | D) | 10,000. | E) | 900,000. | | |
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18.
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Which of the following aspects
of an organism's life is least relevant to its life history? A) | number of offspring per reproductive bout | B) | age at which it first reproduces | C) | frequency of reproduction | D) | frequency of
dispersal | E) | all of the above | | |
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19.
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A small population of
white-footed mice has the same intrinsic rate of increase (r) as a large population. If
everything else is equal, A) | the large population will add more
individuals per unit time. | B) | the small population will add more
individuals per unit time. | C) | the two populations will add equal numbers
of individuals per unit time. | D) | the J-shaped growth curves will look
identical. | E) | the growth trajectories of the two populations will proceed in
opposite directions. | | |
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20.
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In the logistic equation
dN/dt = rN,  , r is a measure of the population's intrinsic rate of increase. It is
determined by which of the following? A) | birth rate | B) | death rate | C) | density | D) | A and B only | E) | A, B, and C | | |
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21.
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In which of the following
habitats would you expect to find the largest number of K-selected
individuals? A) | an abandoned field in Ohio | B) | the sand dunes south of Lake Michigan | C) | the rain forests of Brazil | D) | south Florida after a
hurricane | E) | a newly emergent volcanic island | | |
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22.
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All of the following
characteristics are typical of an r-selected population except A) | occurrence in variable environments. | B) | high intrinsic rate of growth. | C) | onset of reproduction at an early age. | D) | extensive parental care of offspring. | E) | occurrence in open habitats. | | |
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23.
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Which of the following
characterizes relatively K-selected populations? A) | offspring with good chances of survival | B) | many offspring per reproductive episode | C) | small offspring | D) | a high intrinsic rate of
increase | E) | early parental reproduction | | |
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24.
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Which of the following is a
density-independent factor limiting human population growth? A) | social pressure for birth control | B) | earthquakes | C) | plagues | D) | famines | E) | pollution | | |
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25.
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Consider several human
populations of equal size and net reproductive rate, but different in age structure. The population
that is likely to grow the most during the next 30 years is the one with the greatest fraction of
people in which age range? A) | 50 to 60 years | B) | 40 to 50 years | C) | 30 to 40 years | D) | 20 to 30 years | E) | 10 to 20 years | | |
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The following questions
refer to the figure below, which depicts the age structure of three
populations.
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26.
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Which population is in the
process of decreasing? A) | I | B) | II | C) | III | D) | I and II | E) | II and III | | |
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27.
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Which population appears to be
stable? A) | I | B) | II | C) | III | D) | I and II | E) | II and III | | |
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28.
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Assuming these age-structure
diagrams describe human populations, in which population is unemployment likely to be most severe in
the future? A) | I | B) | II | C) | III | D) | No differences in the magnitude of future
unemployment would be expected among these populations. | E) | It is not possible to infer anything about future social conditions from age-structure
diagrams. | | |
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29.
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Assuming these age-structure
diagrams describe human populations, which population is likely to experience zero population growth
(ZPG)? A) | I | B) | II | C) | III | D) | I and II | E) | II and III | | |
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30.
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Which of the following
statements is consistent with the competitive exclusion principle? A) | Bird species generally do not compete for nesting sites. | B) | The density of one competing species will have a positive impact on the population
growth of the other competing species. | C) | Two species with the same fundamental
niche will exclude other competing species. | D) | Even a slight reproductive advantage will eventually lead to the elimination of
inferior species. | E) | Evolution tends to increase competition
between related species. | | |
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31.
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The presence of all of the
following tend to increase species diversity except A) | competitive exclusion. | B) | keystone
predators. | C) | patchy environments. | D) | moderate disturbances. | E) | migration of
populations. | | |
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32.
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According to the competitive
exclusion principle, two species cannot continue to occupy the same A) | habitat. | B) | niche. | C) | territory. | D) | range. | E) | biome. | | |
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33.
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The sum total of an organism's
interaction with the biotic and abiotic resources of its environment is called its A) | habitat. | B) | logistic growth. | C) | biotic potential. | D) | microclimax. | E) | ecological niche. | | |
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34.
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All of the following describe
possible results of competition between two species except A) | competitive exclusion. | B) | aposematic
coloration. | C) | resource partitioning. | D) | reduction in the population of one species. | E) | reduction in the populations of both species. | | |
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35.
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Which of the following is an
example of aposematic coloration? A) | stripes of a
skunk | B) | eye color in humans | C) | green color of a plant | D) | colors of an insect-pollinated
flower | E) | a katydid whose wings look like a dead leaf | | |
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36.
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Which of the following is
not an example of a plant defense against herbivory? A) | nicotine | B) | cryptic
coloration | C) | spines | D) | thorns | E) | strychnine | | |
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37.
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Evidence shows that some
grasses benefit from being grazed. Which of the following terms would best describe this
plant-herbivore interaction? A) | mutualism | B) | commensalism | C) | parasitism | D) | competition | E) | predation | | |
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38.
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To measure species diversity in
a community, you need to know A) | the number of
species. | B) | the relative abundance of each species. | C) | the physical size of each species. | D) | both A and B | E) | A, B, and C | | |
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39.
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Which of the following
statements about communities is not correct? A) | Many plant species in communities seem to be independently
distributed. | B) | Some animal species distributions within a community are linked to
other species. | C) | The distribution of almost all organisms is probably affected, to some
extent, by both abiotic gradients and interactions with other species. | D) | Ecologists refer to species richness as the number of species within a
community. | E) | The trophic structure of a community describes abiotic factors such as
rainfall and temperature affecting members of the community. | | |
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40.
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Prairie dogs once covered the
expanses of the Great Plains. Their grazing made the grass more nutritious for the huge herds of
bison, and a variety of snakes, raptors, and mammals preyed on the rodents. In fact, the black-footed
ferret (now endangered) specialized in prairie dog predation. Today, growing neighborhoods have
covered many prairie dog towns. Which of the following statements about prairie dogs is not
true? A) | Their realized niche has diminished. | B) | They are commensals with bison. | C) | They are reasonably considered a keystone species. | D) | Their fundamental niche remains unaltered. | E) | Their fundamental niche has diminished. | | |
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41.
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Which of the following members
of a marine food chain is most analogous to a grasshopper in a terrestrial food
chain? A) | phytoplankton | B) | zooplankton | C) | detritivore | D) | fish | E) | shark | | |
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42.
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According to the nonequilibrium
model, A) | communities will remain in a state of equilibrium in the absence of
human activities. | B) | community structure remains constant in
the absence of interspecific competition. | C) | communities are assemblages of closely
linked species that function as tightly integrated units. | D) | interspecific interactions induce changes in community composition over
time. | E) | communities are constantly changing because of
disturbances. | | |
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43.
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You are most likely to observe
primary succession when you visit a(n) A) | tropical rain
forest. | B) | abandoned field. | C) | old riverbed. | D) | fairly recent volcanic
island. | E) | deep sea vent. | | |
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Refer to the list of terms
below to answer the following questions. Each term may be used once, more than once, or not at
all.
A. | parasitism | B. | mutualism | C. | inhibition | D. | facilitation | E. | commensalism | | |
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44.
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the relationship between ants
and acacia trees
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45.
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the relationship between
legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria
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46.
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successional event in which one
organism makes the environment more suitable for another organism
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47.
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the relationship between the
larvae of small wasps and caterpillars
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48.
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To recycle nutrients, the
minimum an ecosystem must have is A) | producers. | B) | producers and decomposers. | C) | producers, primary consumers, and
decomposers. | D) | producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and
decomposers. | E) | producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, top carnivores, and
decomposers. | | |
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49.
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Production, consumption, and
decomposition are important ecosystem processes. Which of the following could be
decomposers? A) | bacteria | B) | vertebrates | C) | invertebrates | D) | A and C only | E) | A, B, and C | | |
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50.
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Subtraction of which of the
following will convert gross primary productivity into net primary productivity? A) | the energy contained in the standing crop | B) | the energy used by heterotrophs in respiration | C) | the energy used by autotrophs in respiration | D) | the energy fixed by photosynthesis | E) | all solar energy | | |
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51.
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The difference between net and
gross primary productivity would likely be greatest for A) | phytoplankton in the ocean. | B) | corn plants in a farmer's
field. | C) | prairie grasses. | D) | an oak tree in a forest. | E) | sphagnum moss in a
bog. | | |
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52.
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If you wanted to convert excess
grain into the greatest amount of animal biomass, to which animal would you feed the
grain? A) | chickens | B) | mice | C) | cattle | D) | carp (a type of
fish) | E) | mealworms (larval insects) | | |
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53.
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Which of the following is
primarily responsible for limiting the number of trophic levels in most ecosystems? A) | Many primary and higher-order consumers are opportunistic
feeders. | B) | Most predators require large home ranges. | C) | Nutrient cycles involve both abiotic and biotic components of
ecosystems. | D) | Nutrient cycling rates tend to be limited by
decomposition. | E) | Each energy transfer is less than 100%
efficient. | | |
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54.
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Nitrogen is available to plants
only in the form of A) | ammonium. | B) | nitrite. | C) | nitrate. | D) | A and C only | E) | A, B, and C | | |
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55.
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If the flow of energy in an
arctic ecosystem goes through a simple food chain from seaweeds to fish to seals to polar bears, then
which of the following is true? A) | Polar bears can provide more food for
people than seals can. | B) | The total energy content of the seaweeds
is lower than that of the seals. | C) | Polar bear meat probably contains the
highest concentrations of fat-soluble toxins. | D) | Seals are more numerous than fish. | E) | The carnivores can provide more food for people than the herbivores
can. | | |
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